Healthy Natural Dog Food - Part 5 What is a Free Radical?

Free radicals are the by-products of cellular metabolism. This process is also called oxidation. It means that any activity the cell does in the course of a day, produces a waste product. These waste products can attach themselves to healthy cells and create damage to cell walls. Anything that causes more for the cell to do will create more waste products and therefore more free radicals. So, whether your dog is out for a run with you or out chasing a stick, his metabolic rate increases. This means more cellular activity and more free radical production. We need to clean up these waste products of cellular activity. In come anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants mop up free radicals to prevent them from damaging cells. They are the housekeepers of the body and typically you will find far more of them in human grade dog food than typical commercial food.

Pollution, stress, disease, inflammation and food additives are examples of things that cause the body to have to work harder. Toxins are found in our food, water and air. In food they exist as artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. They are also found in poor quality foods like moldy grains and by-products that the body cannot digest. We need to keep our foods free of these additives to provide less stress on the body. An average 50 lb dog eating commercial dog food eats about 18 lbs of preservatives each year! That takes a lot of work on the body's part to eliminate, resulting in lots of free radicals and potential damage to cells and to DNA.

Every year we are discovering more and more about anti-oxidants that are found in whole natural foods. Dogs and people both need fresh vegetables, fruits and high quality meats. Look for them in healthy natural dog food or human grade dog foods. The best way to ensure adequate intake of useful anti-oxidants is through a balanced, whole food diet. Loading up on synthetic vitamins and synthetic anti-oxidants may actually create further toxicity. This may help explaing the proliferation of upscale boutique shopping markets for humans as well as the advent of the gourmet dog food trend for our dogs.

We need to provide less stress for our canine companions. Always purchase human grade, wholesome ingredients. The less processed our foods are, the better! Remember, vitamin, minerals, complex carbohydrate and proteins are all best when used as a team. Taken out of context, they are not as effective.

Nature knows best! Keep it natural! Choose a healthy natural dog food or even better a human grade dog food to help keep your pet healthy. It doesn't have to be gourmet dog food but it does have to be healthy natural and good for your best friend. Feed your dog like you would feed yourself, without the fast food and candy breaks of course.

Dr. Janice Elenbaas DC - The first woman recognized to adjust animals in Canada and a founding member of the Ontario Veterinarian Chiropractic Association she is a passionate advocate of the benefit of whole foods for both humans and animals. Her company Lucky Dog Cuisine provides all natural human grade cooked meals for dogs.
http://www.luckydogcuisine.com